Coffee Cake
by OpalescentStorm
Summary: AU;; You know the world's gone upside-down when your socially inept best friend sets you up with a blind date. Seriously. Choji x Ino. A little one-shot written for maravelous.


"Hey, Sakura! Get a movie set up on Netflix while I find something to eat. I wanna have a girls' night in with you," Ino called, using her foot to close the front door of her apartment behind her. As she dumped her purse on the kitchen counter, she noticed her roommate staring at her from the hallway. "Well? Aren't you gonna go start a movie? Don't tell me there's something else you had to do tonight—we both know you don't have much of a social life."

The girl in question sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. "No, I don't, but you do. Go put something nice on—you should leave for your date in about a half an hour." Realizing Ino was staring at her blankly, Sakura huffed and clarified, "I got you a blind date at 5:00, so I'm sorry, but girls' night will just have to wait until tomorrow."

"I—you- wait, what? Forehead, what? You got me a blind date? Are you joking me right now? You and I both know I'm more than capable of getting any man I want."

"You and I both have noticed that's not working out very well for you right now. Or have you forgotten you have a penchant for picking out assholes?"

Planting her hands firmly on her hips, Ino turned icy blue eyes on the other woman. "Coming from the girl who was hung up over Sasuke fucking Uchiha for like ten years, that's practically comedy."

"Bringing up old news doesn't help your argument at all, Ino. Yes, I was hung up over him. _Was_ is the operative word here." For a second, her eyes broke away from Ino's gaze, but they flicked back after a moment so short she could pretend it had never happened. "You liked him too, once. Which just goes to show how excellent your taste in men is—as if the last few dates you've had haven't shown that."

"Sak, that's not fair. I'm not trying to attract bad guys."

In reply, Sakura blinked and turned away, walking down the hall. "But you do. That's why I set this up, and that's why you're going. Are you gonna get ready soon or do you plan on showing up late?"

Ino stood for a moment, her foot tapping restlessly, before she stepped forward, snatched her bag off of the counter, and stalked down the hall after Sakura. "What are we even doing? Where am I meeting him? How am I gonna ditch if he's a complete loser?"

"It's that little coffee shop a half-mile away... you know the one. I forget the name. They have good cappuccinos, and the barristers are usually pretty hot-"

"There are going to be hot barristers and I won't even be able to hit on them because I'll be on a blind date with a guy I'm not interested in. Fantastic."

"-and their food is good, too. I mean, it's only like 4:30, but I know you're always ready to eat anything set in front of you when you get back from work. Pig," she said, dodging with ease the shoe that was thrown at her head. "I'll call you like five minutes in, just in case you decide you want to ditch. Say your great-aunt tripped over one of her cats and needs to go to the hospital or something. Now hurry up, get dressed!"

Sparing a quick glance at the clock, Ino noticed she had about twenty minutes until she'd have to leave. After a quick round of rather unladylike curses, she walked into her room and threw open her closet, practically tearing it apart. She couldn't look like she'd put too much effort in, of course, but of course she had to be better-looking than whomever Sakura had scrounged up for her... groaning, she shoved another few hangers to the side, searching for her most flattering pair of skinny jeans.

A good ten minutes later, she dashed into the bathroom and glowered at her reflection for a moment before snatching her makeup from the closet. Black eyeliner, coral lipstick. More mascara. Her hair, curled from work earlier, went into a low side ponytail. "Sakura, I'm heading off!" Ino called, exiting the bathroom and stopping in her room to grab her iPhone and credit card. "You better not forget to call!"

The walk to the coffee shop was brief and pleasant enough; the day had been sunny and just warm enough, and the sidewalks weren't yet crowded with people rushing everywhere. Caught in her thoughts, Ino didn't notice she had neared the coffee shop until she was almost at the door and someone tapped her on her shoulder. "Excuse me, but are you Ino Yamanaka?"

She whipped her head around, blue eyes searching and catching brown eyes set in a large, somewhat chubby face framed by spiky light brown hair. The man who had questioned her was tall, more than a good-half foot above her, and more than slightly stocky in build. "Yeah, I am. Lucky guess, or do you ask that to every girl you come across?" she challenged.

"Well," he said, shrugging, "I suppose a lucky guess. But you do look a bit like your father. I'm Choji. Choji Akimichi. I'm your... blind date, I suppose," he told her, looking only a bit abashed at the term. He grabbed the handle of the door and gestured inside. "Shall we?"

'Might as well,' Ino supposed, walking in and sliding into place in the line in front of the register. "So. Choji Akimichi... that would make your father Chouza, right? He and my father are business partners... along with Mr. Nara, of course."

Choji let out a good-natured chuckle. "Yeah, I'm a little surprised it wasn't my old man who set this up. He can be such a pain about me finding girls. I'm actually surprised I haven't met you before. I mean, I guess he said we'd all meet each other when we're older and taking our families' business, but still..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, same here. Joke's on my dad, though, 'cause I don't plan on joining the family business," she replied before she noticed it was her turn to order. "Uhm, just a medium cappuccino, please," she said.

Before she could pull out her credit card, Choji added, "please make that two. And a piece of cinnamon coffee cake." Handing over his card, he smiled at Ino. "It would be pretty rude if I didn't even pay for coffee. If you wanna pick a spot to sit I'll bring everything over."

A little more than a minute later, and Choji joined her at the table, setting everything down on the table and then plopping into his seat rather ungracefully. "So why-" a ringing sound from his pocket caught him off-guard, and blushing, he retrieved his phone. "Hello? No, I can't right now. Seriously. No. Okay, later." Putting his phone away, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about-"

"A safety call?" Ino interrupted, her gaze frosty. Choji opened his mouth to argue, but she held up her hand. "Don't lie, I know a safety call when I see one." As if on cue, her phone started ringing, and she fished it out. "Sakura, no, I don't have time right now. Everything's fine. Goddammit the kiwi is not ripe you complete idiot! Do not call again," she hissed, jabbing the 'end call' icon.

"You were saying? About safety calls?" Choji asked, his facial expression stuck somewhere between amused and exasperated.

For a second, Ino's mouth just hung open. "I'm a woman. You could have been a rapist. It's perfectly justified," she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"That's a bit of a double-standard, isn't it? I mean, women can be rapists, too," Choji began, but trailed off, unable to meet Ino's stare. "Sorry. Just saying. Uhm, sorry, but... what was that bit about a kiwi being ripe?" he asked, his large brown eyes sparkling with some sort of curious amusement.

Rolling her eyes, Ino uncrossed her arms and placed one hand on the table in front of her. "It's Sakura. She's always worried that I'm gonna get abducted and so if I say the kiwi is ripe that's her signal that she can get all into her freakish hulk mode. She's scary strong." A chuckle, then a pause. "Speaking of Sakura, how do you even know her?"

"She was in a few of my classes. Sakura's pretty smart, you know. Gave me help on assignments and exams sometimes."

"Oh, God, don't say so much to her. She already knows she's smart, regretfully. And that only makes her think it's okay to be a really big pain in the ass."

Choji just chuckled and shrugged. "Okay, sorry I said as much, then. Not to change the subject, but earlier you mentioned something about not wanting to take up the family business? Do you mind if I ask why?" he questioned, his fingers drumming quietly on the edge of the table. "Not, you know, like I'm trying to pry. Just curious."

"It's just so boring! I mean, I've never really liked finance so much, nor most parts of business. Dad's so into it, but to me it just seems really dry. I've been studying biology. I was thinking about medicine, but recently I've also been looking into botany, so I don't really know. Just hopefully something more exciting than sitting at a desk all day." When she looked up, Choji's eyes were on hers, and he was smiling warmly. "Geeze, stop staring at me!"

"Sorry, sorry. It's just interesting, that's all," he said, hands raised in a placating gesture. Smiling slightly, he began to pick at his coffee cake. A few beats of silence played across the table.

"Why are you eating that, anyway?" Ino snapped. Choji looked up, brows furrowed. Gesturing vaguely in front of her, she clarified, "the coffee cake. Girls don't like guys who are chubby, you know."

"Yeah, that's what I told my dad a few days ago. He got a wife, but times are changing. It might not be as easy for me. That's what I think, at least. But Dad told me I would, someday."

"Huh."

"Do you think he's right?"

"What? Wait, what are you asking?"

"You know. Do you think he's right? Do you think that a girl could be interested in me maybe in spite of the fact that I'm bigger?"

"Yeah. I mean, I guess. I don't see why not."

"Cool."

Another beat of silence.

"Ino?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be presumptuous to ask right now if you'd like to go get dinner and see a movie with me sometime later this week?"

"Yeah, it would."

"Oh."

"But it wouldn't be as presumptuous if we finish our coffee first, and talk some more, and you walk me home, and I like you and you like me, and maybe I give you a kiss when we get to my apartment. Maybe. Then I don't think it would be as presumptuous."

Choji looked up at her, grinning, and Ino couldn't help but smile back. "Cool."


End file.
